Slices
Prepare
If someone asked you which is the one characteristic of God you most appreciate, what would you say?
Bible passage
Of David.
1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits –
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 the Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbour his anger for ever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children –
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Explore
Becoming immersed in Hebrews has sometimes so overwhelmed me that I’ve had to take a break. There’s too much of Christ to take in. Psalm 103 continues in the same vein, though for the writer Christ himself has not yet become lower than the angels!
The book of Hebrews begins by declaring that God has spoken in many ways in the past. This psalm reminds us of what God has done for his people long before Christ. Which of these actions of God strike you in particular? We’re also reminded that God communicated directly with Moses (v 7) – throughout the people’s wanderings in the wilderness, but especially when he was given the Law on Mount Sinai. Yet it’s not just about God’s deeds. It is his character that is central – abounding, never-ending love, compassion and knowledge (eg vs 13,17).
Just knowing facts about God and his deeds was never sufficient for anyone to begin to ‘know’ God. So finally, he spoke by his Son (Hebrews 1:2). Read through this psalm again. In what ways does Jesus make God known by his words and actions during his earthly life? What about now, seated at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3)?
Respond
‘No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made him known’ (John 1:18). Thank God for Jesus!
Deeper Bible study
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.’1
At the outset of this psalm, the psalmist calls upon his entire being to praise the Lord for what the Lord characteristically does for him (vs 1–5). Then the psalm looks back to the Lord’s self-revelation to Moses as a compassionate and gracious God (vs 6–9). After that, it moves out in ever-widening circles to celebrate what God does for his people (vs 10–14), for all humanity (vs 15–18), until, finally, the whole creation comes into view (v 19). It then turns to the supernatural world, calling on the angels (vs 20,21) and all creation (v 22) to praise the Lord. The psalm closes as it opens, encouraging the psalmist to add his voice to the praise of the universe, like the single note of a triangle penetrating the sound of an orchestra in full flight.
Many psalms celebrate God’s great deeds in the past, what God has done for his people. In this psalm, the past is muted at best, amid all the present-tense verbs. The psalm celebrates what God is like – his settled attitude of compassion, not only towards an individual, not only towards his people and, indeed, not only towards all humanity, but towards the whole created universe.
Different verses in the psalm will stand out to different readers. For me, verses 11 and 12, in the centre of the psalm, are a high point: ‘as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.’ For those with a personal relationship with the covenant God, especially those who revere his name, his love and his forgiveness are immeasurable.
Go through the psalm again and find the verse (or verses) that are your high point for today. Commit them to memory and carry them with you through the day.
1 Ps 103:1
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Job 24–26; Luke 21
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for two of our movements operating in restricted countries. Because they work under extreme pressure from their authorities, they constantly need to be careful of what they say and do; nevertheless, they have started to make plans for summer and one of their campsites is almost fully booked.
